diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
index 784e461..85022ba 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
@@ -93,6 +93,12 @@ jobs:
         shell: powershell
         run: cd cinny; npm ci
 
+      # Deployment-only config (e.g. the Giphy key) lives on the web server,
+      # not in git; copy it in so the desktop GIF picker works.
+      - name: Sync web config
+        shell: powershell
+        run: node scripts/sync-web-config.mjs
+
       - name: Install Tauri deps
         shell: powershell
         run: npm ci
@@ -208,6 +214,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install frontend deps
         run: cd cinny && npm ci
 
+      - name: Sync web config
+        run: node scripts/sync-web-config.mjs
+
       - name: Install Tauri deps
         run: npm ci
 
diff --git a/scripts/sync-web-config.mjs b/scripts/sync-web-config.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c08a275
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/sync-web-config.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+// Copy deployment-only client config from the live web app into the bundled
+// cinny/config.json before a desktop build.
+//
+// The web deploy serves a config.json kept on the server (not in git), so
+// values such as the Giphy key exist only there; the desktop app bundles the
+// repo's config.json, where they are empty. Without this the GIF picker can be
+// switched on in Settings and still never show a button on desktop.
+//
+// Only an allow-list of keys is copied, and a failure to fetch is a warning:
+// the build still succeeds, just without those values.
+import { readFileSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+
+const SOURCE = process.env.WEB_CONFIG_URL || 'https://chat.lotusguild.org/config.json';
+const TARGET = 'cinny/config.json';
+const KEYS = ['gifApiKey'];
+
+try {
+  const res = await fetch(SOURCE, { signal: AbortSignal.timeout(15000) });
+  if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${res.status}`);
+  const web = await res.json();
+  const local = JSON.parse(readFileSync(TARGET, 'utf8'));
+  const copied = KEYS.filter((k) => typeof web[k] === 'string' && web[k] && local[k] !== web[k]);
+  copied.forEach((k) => {
+    local[k] = web[k];
+  });
+  writeFileSync(TARGET, `${JSON.stringify(local, null, 2)}\n`);
+  console.log(`sync-web-config: ${copied.length ? `set ${copied.join(', ')}` : 'nothing to change'}`);
+} catch (e) {
+  console.warn(`sync-web-config: skipped (${e.message}); building with the repo config`);
+}